President Goodluck Jonathanon
Wednesdayformally unveiled the new
N100 commemorative notes at the
Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The short ceremony which was initially
scheduled for last Wednesday did not
hold then because of the President’s
journey to Burkina Faso.
Vice President Namadi Sambo and the
Central Bank of Nigeria’s Governor,
Godwin Emefiele, joined the President to
unveil the note during the weekly
Federal Executive Council meeting.
Shortly after presenting the note,
Emefiele said it was issued to
commemorate the 100 years of the
nation’s amalgamation.He listed some
countries that had before now issued
currencies to mark epochal events to
include Morocco, Russia and Costa Rica
among others.
He said the new note was produced with
what he described as most advanced
security features in the world. Emefiele
listed the design platforms on which the
note was made to include security,
durability, attractiveness, cultural
heritage and transformation.
Jonathan lauded the CBN for coming up
with the commemorative note, though it
was coming a bit late since activities
marking the nation’s centenary had been
concluded.
He recalled that commemorative N50
notes were also introduced to mark the
nation’s 50th independence anniversary.
Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-
Iweala, also commended the CBN for
coming up with the notes.
She specifically lauded the QRC feature
on the back of the note.
The code, if scanned with smart phones,
leads users to a website where the
nation’s history could be accessed.
The minister also raised questions on the
amount the CBN will use to print the new
notes and whether it would be done
locally.
Jonathan however said the questions
would be answered when a
memorandum on the issue is presented
to the council.